[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week.]
Israel Palestine
Challenging Peter Beinart’s Dishonesty about the Inequality in Zionism, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah challenges Peter Beinart’s contention in a recent column that the notion of Jewish statehood does not deny Palestinians equality inside Israel.
Munayyer and Beinart’s Historic Debate on the Solution to the Conflict, Philip Weiss
Mondoweiss provides a partial transcript and summary of the debate over the solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict between liberal Zionist Peter Beinart and Yousef Munayyer of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
“Combat Proven”: The Booming Business of War in Israel, Alex Kane
The Intercept reports on Israel’s status as a hub for arms manufacturers, “capitalizing on the constant state of conflict the country is in and the close coordination between the military and the weapons industry” in a report from ISDEF expo, an annual event showcasing Israeli weaponry products.
What About “Academic Freedom” for the Children of Gaza?, David Palumbo-Liu
Concerns about academic boycott threatening academic freedom in the west are diversionary in light of the dire educational situation faced by most residents of Gaza.
Israel’s Unlikely Alliance, Asa Winstanley
Winstanley speculates in Jacobin on a possible Israeli-al-Qaeda alliance in Syria.
Israel’s Clandestine Alliance with Gulf Arab States is Going Public, Murtaza Hussain
Writing in The Intercept, Hussain discusses the increasingly visible links between Israel and the Gulf States, especially Saudi Arabia.
Surveillance
Questions and Answers about Newly Approved USA Freedom Act, Ken Dilanian
Writing for The Seattle Times, Dilanian summarizes the USA Freedom act, legislation recently signed into law extending expiring surveillance provisions of the Patriot Act.
Terror Prosecutors Want Edward Snowden’s Name Banned from Trial, Associated Press
US government prosecutors have requested a federal judge prohibit the defense in the trial of Adel Daoud, accused of attempting to bomb a bar, from mentioning the name of Edward Snowden, following the defense’s failed request to obtain FISA records on Daoud.
Chris Soghoian Q+A: The Next Chapter of Surveillance Reform, John Reed
Just Security features a discussion of the abuses of NSA surveillance technology.
The Legal Legacy of Citizen Four, Don Franzen
Writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Dan Franzen interviews law professor Erwin Chemerinsky on the impact of surveillance revelations leaked by Edward Snowden two years ago.
Law
US Senate Mulls Barriers to Closing Guantanamo, Michael Bowman
Voice of America details Senate efforts to write numerous legal hurdles to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay into the latest authorization of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Most of the Suspects Accused of Attacking Malala Yousafzai Were Secretly Acquitted, Gabrielle Canon
A secret trial in April 2015 at a Pakistani military facility acquitted eight of the ten men accused of shooting human rights activist Malala Yousafzai.
Al Warafi’s Active Hostilities, Deborah Pearlstein
Pearlstein provides an overview of the issues at hand in the habeas corpus petition of Guantanamo detainee Mukhtar Yahia Naji al Warafi, currently being considered by a DC district court.
The Apparent End of the “Gag Orders” for GTMO Detainees, Marty Lederman
Lederman discusses recent changes to Military Commissions cases on Guantanamo detainees allowing the detainees to speak publicly about their time in custody.
The Nature and Scope of the War in Afghanistan, Jens David Ohlin
Writing for Opinio Juris, Ohlin discusses a recent brief filed by detainee Al Warafi protesting his detention under the law of war on the grounds that the War in Afghanistan is over.
Armed Conflict
ISIS Forces That Now Control Ramadi Are Ex-Baathist Saddam Loyalists, Malcolm Nance
Nance discusses ties between ISIS and ex-Baathist Sadaam Hussein loyalists and tensions between the loyalists and more religiously-centered elements of ISIS.
US Drone Complex Bureaucratizes Murder, Arjun Sethi, Kevin Schwartz
In Al Jaeera America, Sethi and Schwartz argue that the division of labor involved in targeting killings with drones “unburdens” the moral and legal liabilities involved.
Terror Trial Collapses after Fears of Deep Embarrassment to Security Services, Richard Norton-Taylor
Prosecutors have abandoned the trial of Swedish national Bherlin Gildo following revelations that British intelligence agencies had armed a number of the same Syrian opposition groups for which Gildo was accused of providing material support .
Obama to Meet with Iraqi Prime Minister to Discuss ISIS’ Advance, Julie Hirschfeld Davis
The New York Times reports on an upcoming meeting in Washington between US President Barack Obama and Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi.
Yemen’s Houthis Agree to Talks as Bombing Reportedly Kills 58 People, Mohommed Ghobari and Noah Browning
Reuters reports that the Houthis of Yemen have agreed to meet with a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states in Geneva for a series of talks brokered by the United Nations.
Quietly, al-Qaeda Offshoots Expand in Yemen and Syria, Hugh Naylor
The Washington Post surveys how unrest and armed conflict in Syria and Yemen have served as recruiting and tactical boons for a number of al Qaeda affiliates.